Three white men who chased and shot a black man in Florida have avoided hate crime charges

Three white men who pleaded guilty to charges related to the murder of a black man in Jacksonville, Florida, will likely be sentenced this month for his or her roles in the murder.

Ryan Nichols, Daniel DeGuardia and Holden Doldson were arrested after the body of 39-year-old Gary Jackson was found behind a dumpster on May 2, 2023.

According to police, all three men chased the victim in a automobile after 2 a.m. At one point, as Jackson tried to cover behind a dumpster, Nichols jumped out of the automobile and chased him on foot. A short while later, Nichols was seen returning to the automobile and all three men left. Police found Jackson’s body later that morning with multiple gunshot wounds.

All three men were arrested the subsequent day. Nichols, 20, was charged with second-degree murder, while DeGuardia and Dodson were charged with accessory after the actual fact.

Last week, a judge sentenced Nichols to 40 years in prison.

Both Dodson and DeGuardia he testified during Nichols’ sentencing. Dodson said everyone was drinking and doing cocaine the night of Jackson’s murder. Only Dodson and Nichols were armed.

According to Dodson’s testimony, it was Nichols who began chasing Jackson, and after a short chase, he returned to the automobile and accused Jackson of stealing his gun. DeGuardia said they got into the automobile and Nichols told him where to go.

Last yr, News4JAX reported that witnesses told the station that the three men had contacted Jackson in what they suspected was a drug-related relationship before the encounter took a turn for the more serious. “He ran away with a gun because one of the boys showed him a gun and was waving it,” the station reported reported said one witness.

After they found Jackson, DeGuardia claimed that Nichols took Dodson’s gun and got out of the automobile.

“(Nichols) said something like, ‘I do know where you are hiding.’ They’re going to shoot you,” DeGuardia said.

Both Dodson and DeGuardia said Nichols shot Jackson several times behind the dumpster, and when Nichols returned to the automobile, all of them drove away.

“(Nichols) said, ‘I just shot that N-word in the head,’ that’s one of the statements. And “nobody robs me.” I was almost bragging,” Dodson said.

No one was charged with a hate crime for the murder. At the time of the arrests, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said there was no evidence to suggest bias or bias was a factor in the killing.

Jackson’s members of the family asked the judge to impose maximum prison sentences for all three men.

“Three monsters against one black man. They were after my uncle” – Jackson’s niece, Annequineice Johnson he told MotionNewsJax.

“Ryan, Daniel and Holden cursed me out as soon as I woke up, thanking God for letting me live to see another day and praying for my family and friends,” said Jackson’s aunt, Leanne Butler.

Dodson, 22, and DeGuardia, 19, face a maximum of 15 years in prison. The verdict will likely be announced on June 28.